Overview

Featuring down-to-earth advice on finding, buying, growing, and preparing great food from local sources, this important resource shows readers how to bring what's on their plates in line with what's in their hearts. For anyone concerned about animal welfare, economic fair play, family cohesion, community wellbeing, or the impact of human activity on the environment, the book is a compendium of practical know-how, showcasing another whole food system that has been quietly producing delicious foods in ways that don't wreck any ecosystems but actually improve some of them. These are the foods lovingly produced by small-scale farmers and family-run cottage businesses, not corporations. They're made in small quantities close to the community by people who cherish their land and work hard to keep it healthy. Millions more Americans would love to eat this bounty, but many worry that eating fresh, local food is too difficult or expensive. Here, readers will discover how to: buy a tomato that actually tastes like a tomato instead of insipid mush; navigate CSAs, farmer's markets, buyer's clubs, co-ops, and more; fit cooking into a jam-packed modern lifestyle; get kids to eat their vegetables—and love them; and do it all for even less than they're paying now for industrial food. The results will help them derive more pleasure from meals, enjoy better health, experience a deeper connection with nature, nurture a robust local economy, and support a fairer world—simply by sitting down to a deliberately chosen, lovingly prepared meal.

Reviews

"Developing a greater local capacity for food production is a vital response to the risks of climate change and resource scarcity. Eat Local for Less shows how we can obtain healthy, locally-produced food at an affordable price." —Michael Klare, author, The Race for What's Left

"Read this fun book! You'll find foods you love and feel the power of connecting with others and the earth—all within easy reach." —Frances Moore Lappé, author, Diet for a Small Planet

"This is a wonderful book to read. Its broad depth helps the curious person navigate from our industrial food system into an ecologically minded local food system, just like a few generations ago were eating. Eat Local For Less encourages us to plant our own healthy gardens and grow a soil food web or start supporting local farmers via CSAs, farmers markets, and food co-ops. This book has something for everyone. Read this book and eat local for a cool planet and to save money." —Christopher Shein, author, The Vegetable Gardener's Guide to Permaculture

Author Biography

Julie Castillo is a college anthropology instructor, children's enrichment instructor, writing instructor, enrichment curriculum designer, entrepreneur, writer, and futurist. She has been the cowriter or ghostwriter of two novels and 13 nonfiction books, including two New York Times bestsellers. She lives in Frederick, Maryland.